Adam & Aaron celebrate the 30th anniversary of Michael Jordan‘s (1984) arrival in the National Basketball Association. This episode covers:

* NBA regular season – March 25 through April 14, 1985

* Insightful minutiae, all but lost to the annals of basketball history

In this episode, we discuss numerous happenings from the 1984-85 NBA season. The Chicago Bulls finished the regular season with ten games in nineteen days – four wins and six losses.

We chat about Bernard King‘s arthroscopic – a week later, reconstructive – knee surgery and its implications on his career. Then, cover the changing hierarchy of the Bulls’ franchise – particularly the arrival of Jerry Krause, coupled with the departure of Rod Thorn. We also talk about the NBA’s best-performing players – including Dave Corzine‘s season-high 23 points – milestones reached – Moses Malone surpassing 10,000 career rebounds, Stan Albeck registering his 300th win as coach, John Bagley (team; Cleveland) & Isiah Thomas‘ (league) records for assists in a single season – and much more.

This episode continues our coverage of the 1984-85 NBA season. We encourage your interaction. Feel free to suggest specific games, moments and events from within the season, for us to cover in future episodes of the series. Thanks for taking the time to listen to the show. If you enjoy the content, please share it with your friends!

Adam & Aaron celebrate the 30th anniversary of Michael Jordan‘s (1984) arrival in the National Basketball Association. This episode covers:

* NBA regular season – March 10 through 24, 1985

* Insightful minutiae, all but lost to the annals of basketball history

In this episode, we discuss numerous happenings from the next 15-day block of the 1984-85 NBA season. The Chicago Bulls played yet another, schedule-stuffing nine games, in this span – four wins and five losses.

We chat about Jerry Reinsdorf becoming the Chicago Bulls’ majority owner. Then, cover Bernard King‘s very serious, career-altering knee injury. We also talk about the NBA’s best-performing players – including Larry Bird‘s astonishing 60-point explosion versus Atlanta – milestones reached – George Gervin passing Jerry West, to become the then-ninth all-time highest scorer in league history – and much more.

This episode continues our coverage of the 1984-85 NBA season. We encourage your interaction. Feel free to suggest specific games, moments and events from within the season, for us to cover in future episodes of the series. Thanks for taking the time to listen to the show. If you enjoy the content, please share it with your friends!

We discuss Dale’s high school basketball days, followed by his outstanding four seasons with the Tennessee Volunteers, where he was twice named All-American.

Dale talks about his whereabouts on NBA Draft Day, 1983, when he was selected ninth overall by the Dallas Mavericks. We cover his three seasons with the Mavs, playing alongside fellow draftee Derek Harper, including these memorable finishes to games against the mighty Los Angeles Lakers.

Dale discusses his trade from Dallas to Seattle, where he set the NBA record for highest, single-season scoring increase – from 7.1 (1986, Dallas) to a staggering 24.9 points per game (1987, Seattle). Ellis also won Most Improved Player and in that year’s Playoffs, dominated his former team, helping steer the Sonics to the Western Conference Finals.

Of course, with Dale Ellis as my guest, I had to ask about his incredible three-point shooting prowess. Dale was the first player in NBA history, to make 1000 three-point field goals. He competed in numerous Three-Point Shootouts, too, including the iconic match-up with Larry Bird, in 1988 at Chicago Stadium.

When Dale mentioned Michael Jordan, I didn’t need to be told twice, to ask more about their battles over the years. He recalls some funny stories and talks about MJ’s greatness.

Dale reminisces about his fantastic 1989 season. Aside from averaging a career-high 27.5ppg and being named to the All-NBA 3rd Team, he had an All-Star Weekend for the ages, winning the Three-Point Shootout and then scored 27 points the following day, for the Western Conference All-Stars. Dale also shares a great All-Star story, talking about his idol, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, plus, playing with future Hall of Famer, John Stockton.

We also discuss his seasons spent with the Milwaukee Bucks, San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets and his return to Seattle in 1998, where he would lead the NBA, connecting on a staggering 46.4% of his three-point field goals.

Last year (2014), Dale became just the fourth player to have his jersey retired, by the University of Tennessee. He discussed memories of his teammates, and how graduating from college (1985) was the hardest thing he has ever done in his life.

We talk about the Inaugural 2015 Breakthrough Atlanta Celebrity Basketball Game, where Dale will lead his squad against former teammate, Dikembe Mutombo. Click here to learn more about this game.

We discuss Rick’s early career and his tough, yet rewarding, decision to move to Atlanta and play high-school basketball. His outstanding HS years put Rick on the national radar and he was recruited by numerous colleges, including Michigan and Kentucky. Ultimately, he decided to move back home and played four years with Mississippi State University.

Rick was one of the players that the Golden State Warriors drafted, after they traded away Robert Parish and dealt their number three pick to the Celtics, in the 1980 NBA Draft – that selection would be Kevin McHale – effectively forming Boston’s Hall of Fame, ‘Big Three’.

Rick recalls his years with the Warriors, and talks about playing with personalities like World B. Free, Bernard King and Joe Barry Carroll. Golden State traded Rick to Atlanta, mid-way through the 1983 season – this was Dominique Wilkins‘ rookie year. We talk about his time with the Hawks and also his role in Larry Bird‘s incredible 60-point game, in 1985.

After finishing his NBA career, Rick moved overseas and achieved high levels of success, becoming a European Champion in the process. He played ten years in Europe, with very-recognizable names, including Mike D’Antoni, Bob McAdoo and Arvydas Sabonis. One of Rick’s greatest moments, happened in 1992, when he won his team (Real Madrid) the European Cup Final.

Last year (2014), Rick was inducted into Mississippi State University’s Sports Hall of Fame. He talks about that honor and the importance of leaving a legacy to his family. We also briefly chat about his sons who are looking to make a name for themselves in the future.

After our conversation, I briefly invite my good friend, Cobi Sobrino – who was in attendance at the 1992 European Cup Final – onto the show. He recalls the game and Rick’s impact on European basketball.

In this episode, we break down the NBA’s thirty-fifth All-Star Game. The game was played at the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana, in-front of a then-record NBA crowd of 43,146. We were fortunate to have access to the game DVD, giving us plenty of topics and moments to talk about, including the alleged ‘freeze-out’ of Michael Jordan, supposedly led by Isiah Thomas.

We chat about Alex English and his humanitarian efforts. Following encouragement from Alex, his fellow stars donated their game payments to an Ethiopian relief effort. The game itself was played at a fast pace, led by perennial All-Stars, Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas. Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon – who finished with similar stat-lines – were the only rookies who played in the game.

This episode continues our coverage of the 1984-85 NBA season. We encourage your interaction. Feel free to suggest specific games, moments and events from within the season, for us to cover in future episodes of the series. Thanks for taking the time to listen to the show. If you enjoy the content, please share it with your friends!